Sorry for the food blogging absence… I was caught up in wedding planning! Now I’m back to the kitchen!

Back in 2011, I posted my recipe for the “best ribs ever.” I’m not changing my stance on that. They really are the best ribs ever.

However, they are a little time intensive (just the part where they’re in the oven), and I personally am not comfortable leaving the oven running when I’m not home, so we would only have those ribs on the weekend. Or worse, I’d put them in the oven at bedtime and then get up in the middle of the night to take them out. I love my sleep – so that proves the deliciousness of these ribs! But it wasn’t that convenient… until now.

I discovered these ribs were just as delicious when cooked in the crockpot and finished in the oven under the broiler.

Pour a bottle of Liquid Smoke into your crockpot with one cup of water. Crumple up some aluminum foil to make a “rack” in the bottom of the crockpot so that your ribs aren’t sitting in the liquid.

Prepare the ribs as directed in my original post (score the backs of the ribs and coat them in rub seasoning of your choice), although cut them to fit your crockpot. You can stack them pretty haphazardly.

Cook them covered in the crockpot on low for 8 hours, give or take.

Once you’re almost ready to serve, preheat your oven broiler to about 450 – you want it really hot to caramelize the sauce you’re about to add. The ribs are going to be extremely tender and delicate, so using tongs, pick them up from the crockpot and put them on a cookie sheet. Spread your favorite bbq sauce on them liberally. Put them in the oven, on a top rack, until the sauce starts to blacken and caramelize – about 10 minutes.

Now you’re ready to serve! These ribs just fall off the bone. Don’t be surprised when this is what is left on your plate: